The prospect of moving the Cleveland Browns' stadium to Brook Park has stirred significant discourse among local leaders. Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne emphasized the county's position, asserting that if Browns' owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam desire public funding towards a new stadium, then a "come home" approach to downtown Cleveland is warranted. According to cleveland.com, Ronayne during a news event with County Council President Pernel Jones, Jr., made clear the county’s stance on the matter, labeling the Haslams' anticipated $2.4 billion Brook Park stadium a financial model that does not work for them.
Underscoring the sentiment that investing in Brook Park is a direction they will not take, Ronayne and Jones Jr. have instead pitched for the Browns to reaffirm their base in Downtown Cleveland, where a renovated stadium could serve as a pivotal element in lakefront development. As obtained by News5Cleveland, the leaders insist on refusing the suburban stadium proposal. Aligning against the Haslams, they argue that the $2.4 billion project, which anticipates a $600 million burden on the county, is overly dependent on public dollars.
At a recent press conference, County Executive Ronayne described the projected financial model for the Brook Park stadium as untenable for the county's taxpayers. "We believe, after seeing their numbers and projections, we do not believe the financial modeling that’s been presented to us works for our taxpayers and residents," Ronayne detailed, as reported by Spectrum News 1. Jones contributed to the remarks, underscoring the unresolved financial burden that such an investment would place on the county's general fund.
In contrast to the Browns' owners' statement, claiming the need for more time and consideration of all options for "a long-term decision of this magnitude," Ronayne's response pointed out the impracticality of the proposition. Echoing the county's fiscal prudence, the statement released by the Haslams was met with cautious scrutiny, citing the substantial public expectation of $1.2 billion to be "a bridge too far," Ronayne said, as found in the same Spectrum News 1 article.
Meanwhile, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin have not been silent on the matter, asserting their support for downtown Cleveland as the strategic choice for the Browns stadium. The city's latest funding plan for the lakefront stadium renovation, totaling an estimated $1 billion, was made public earlier this month, with the city offering to cover $461 million. This financial maneuvering comes following the Haslams' request for additional details from the city before taking any final leaps, further demonstrating that any ultimate decision remains at bay, at least for the time being.
